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Egypt, Tajikistan Discuss Water Cooperation

Egyptian Water and Irrigation Minister Mohamed Abdel Aty meets with Tajikistan’s Ambassador to Cairo Zarobiddin Kosimi. (Water and Irrigation Ministry)
Egyptian Water and Irrigation Minister Mohamed Abdel Aty meets with Tajikistan’s Ambassador to Cairo Zarobiddin Kosimi. (Water and Irrigation Ministry)
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Egypt, Tajikistan Discuss Water Cooperation

Egyptian Water and Irrigation Minister Mohamed Abdel Aty meets with Tajikistan’s Ambassador to Cairo Zarobiddin Kosimi. (Water and Irrigation Ministry)
Egyptian Water and Irrigation Minister Mohamed Abdel Aty meets with Tajikistan’s Ambassador to Cairo Zarobiddin Kosimi. (Water and Irrigation Ministry)

Egypt and Tajikistan discussed on Monday ways to boost cooperation in the field of water resources and irrigation.

Egyptian Water and Irrigation Minister Mohamed Abdel Aty met with Tajikistan’s Ambassador to Cairo, Zarobiddin Kosimi and prepared a memorandum of understanding that includes all areas of proposed cooperation.

Kosimi praised the great development in Egypt's water system in recent years, said a statement released by Abdel Aty’s office.

He also discussed the arrangements made by Tajikistan to host the Dushanbe Water Conference in June 2022, which Abdel Aty will attend as a representative of Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly.

During the meeting, Abdel Aty reviewed Egypt’s preparations to hold the fifth edition of Cairo Water Week and the UN Conference of Parties on Climate Change (COP 27) that will be held in Sharm El-Sheikh in November.

He highlighted the efforts made by his ministry to prepare for the UN mid-term review conference that will be held in New York in March 2023.

He announced that his ministry is preparing a regional report that lists the challenges of countries that suffer from water scarcity, as well as developing a number of recommendations that contribute to achieving the sustainable development goals.

Tajikistan is a member of the Water and Climate Coalition, which collaborates with a number of UN organizations to integrate between the water and climate agendas.

The Egyptian Water Ministry said in its statement that talks between Abdel Aty and Kosimi tackled the action plan of the Water and Climate Coalition, which is led by the presidents of Tajikistan and Hungary.

The minister briefed him on the measures taken by Egypt to improve its irrigation system and efforts to contain the impact of climate change, including the cleaning of canals, shift to drip irrigation and recycling of wastewater.

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World

Israel President Says at End of Visit Antisemitism in Australia 'Frightening'

Israel's President Isaac Herzog reacts during a Jewish community event in Melbourne on February 12, 2026. (Photo by WILLIAM WEST / AFP)
Israel's President Isaac Herzog reacts during a Jewish community event in Melbourne on February 12, 2026. (Photo by WILLIAM WEST / AFP)
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Israel President Says at End of Visit Antisemitism in Australia 'Frightening'

Israel's President Isaac Herzog reacts during a Jewish community event in Melbourne on February 12, 2026. (Photo by WILLIAM WEST / AFP)
Israel's President Isaac Herzog reacts during a Jewish community event in Melbourne on February 12, 2026. (Photo by WILLIAM WEST / AFP)

Antisemitism in Australia is "frightening" but most people want good relations, Israel's President Isaac Herzog said on Thursday as he wrapped up a four-day visit and was met by protests in the city of Melbourne.

Herzog's tightly policed visit to Australia this week was meant to offer consolation to the country's Jewish community following the mass shooting on Bondi Beach that killed 15 people in December, said AFP.

However, it sparked demonstrations in major cities, including in Sydney, where police used pepper spray on protesters and members of the media, including an AFP photographer, during scuffles in the central business district on Monday night.

Herzog told Channel Seven's Sunrise ahead of his Melbourne stop that a "wave" of anti-Jewish hatred in Australia had culminated in the December 14 killings at Bondi.

"It is frightening and worrying," he said.

"But there's also a silent majority of Australians who seek peace, who respect the Jewish community and, of course, want a dialogue with Israel."

The Israeli head of state said he had brought a "message of goodwill to the people of Australia".

"I hope there will be a change. I hope things will relax," he said.

Herzog attended a Jewish community event after a meeting with Victoria's governor at Melbourne's Government House.

Protesters waving Palestinian flags and chanting slogans squared off with police outside the event.

More are expected to turn out later at around 5 pm (0600 GMT) on Thursday.

Herzog told the audience at the community event: "We came here to be with you, to look you in the eye, to embrace and remember."

He also said demonstrators outside should instead "go protest in front of the Iranian embassy".

The Australian government accused Iran last year of orchestrating a recent wave of antisemitic attacks and expelled Tehran's ambassador.

Canberra, citing intelligence findings, accused Tehran of directing the torching of a kosher cafe in the Sydney suburb of Bondi in October 2024 and a major arson attack on the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne in December 2024.

- Controversial visit -

Ahead of his arrival, national broadcaster ABC reported that a building at Melbourne University had been graffiti-ed with the phrase: "Death to Herzog".

Many Jewish Australians have welcomed Herzog's trip.

"His visit will lift the spirits of a pained community," said Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, the community's peak body.

But some in the community disagreed, with the progressive Jewish Council of Australia saying he was not welcome because of his alleged role in the "ongoing destruction of Gaza".

The UN's Independent International Commission of Inquiry found last year that Herzog was liable for prosecution for inciting genocide after he said all Palestinians -- "an entire nation" -- were responsible for the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023.

Israel has "categorically" rejected the inquiry's report, describing it as "distorted and false" and has called for the body's abolition.

World

Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Says the US and Iran Showing Flexibility on Nuclear Deal

FILE PHOTO: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks during an interview with Reuters at the 23rd edition of the annual Doha Forum, in Doha, Qatar, December 6, 2025. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks during an interview with Reuters at the 23rd edition of the annual Doha Forum, in Doha, Qatar, December 6, 2025. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/File Photo
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Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Says the US and Iran Showing Flexibility on Nuclear Deal

FILE PHOTO: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks during an interview with Reuters at the 23rd edition of the annual Doha Forum, in Doha, Qatar, December 6, 2025. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks during an interview with Reuters at the 23rd edition of the annual Doha Forum, in Doha, Qatar, December 6, 2025. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/File Photo

The United States and Iran are showing flexibility on a nuclear deal, with Washington appearing "willing" to tolerate some nuclear enrichment, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told the Financial Times in an interview published Thursday.

“It is positive that the Americans appear willing to tolerate Iranian enrichment within clearly set boundaries," Fidan, who has been involved in talks with both Washington and Tehran, told the FT.

“The Iranians now recognize ‌that they ‌need to reach a deal with the ‌Americans, ⁠and the Americans ⁠understand that the Iranians have certain limits. It’s pointless to try to force them.”

Washington has until now demanded Iran relinquish its stockpile of uranium enriched to up to 60% fissile purity, a small step away from the 90% that is considered weapons grade, said Reuters.

Iranian ⁠President Masoud Pezeshkian has said Iran would continue ‌to demand the ‌lifting of financial sanctions and insist on its nuclear rights including ‌enrichment.

Fidan told the FT he believed Tehran “genuinely ‌wants to reach a real agreement” and would accept restrictions on enrichment levels and a strict inspection regime, as it did in the 2015 agreement with the US and others.

US ‌and Iranian diplomats held talks through Omani mediators in Oman last week in ⁠an effort ⁠to revive diplomacy, after President Donald Trump positioned a naval flotilla in the region, raising fears of new military action. Trump on Tuesday said he was considering sending a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East, even as Washington and Tehran prepared to resume negotiations.

The Turkish foreign minister, however, cautioned that broadening the Iran-US talks to ballistic missiles would bring "nothing but another war."

The US State Department and the White House did not respond to a request for comment outside regular business hours.

Business

Riyadh Implements More Than 8,000 Infrastructure Projects

An employee at the Riyadh Infrastructure Projects Center (SPA)
An employee at the Riyadh Infrastructure Projects Center (SPA)
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Riyadh Implements More Than 8,000 Infrastructure Projects

An employee at the Riyadh Infrastructure Projects Center (SPA)
An employee at the Riyadh Infrastructure Projects Center (SPA)

The Riyadh Infrastructure Projects Center said it coordinated and delivered more than 8,000 infrastructure projects across the Saudi capital in 2025 under a comprehensive master plan launched last year.

The center explained that the plan is built on an integrated spatial and scheduling methodology designed to unify efforts, improve planning and execution efficiency, and reduce conflicts between projects.

The approach helped cut infrastructure project delivery times by 24 percent and generated cost savings through stronger governance, reduced unnecessary road resurfacing, and fewer service disruptions.

The methodology allows projects to be managed within a single regulatory framework that links spatial planning with implementation timelines and provides a centralized source of data.

This framework supports informed decision-making and improves coordination among the energy, water, telecommunications and road sectors.

According to the center, implementation of the master plan led to the resolution of 9,550 spatial conflicts and the management of 82,627 scheduling overlaps, in addition to addressing 436 conflicts related to major public events. These measures reduced project clashes, accelerated delivery, improved operational stability, and minimized the impact of construction on traffic flow and surrounding activities.

The center said the comprehensive master plan is one of its core strategic mandates and has become a unified regulatory reference that strengthens integration among government entities and raises the level of institutional coordination.

Working with more than 22 relevant stakeholders, the center exceeded its first-year targets by 108 percent.

It added that the achievements reflect a commitment to sound regulatory practices that support the sustainability of infrastructure projects, enhance service quality, and maximize developmental impact across the Riyadh region.